Jacksonville, Florida – at a point in time in history – had stated that they could not support a professional football team. However, ticket sales for the Jacksonville Jaguars have proven otherwise and have successfully supported the NFL franchise for years. Jaguar fans are dedicated and continue to purchase tickets and show up to all their home games regardless of their season record.
The NFL was looking for a city to start a new franchise in back in’92. They had their hopes on Charlotte, NC, St. Louis, MO, Baltimore, MD, Memphis, TN, or – their last choice – Jacksonville, FL. Florida already had two pro-football teams; there was really no need to add another.
Jacksonville, Florida was not a favorite pick for the NFL, for many different reasons. Besides the fact that Florida was full of professional sports teams, television ratings were low, the city was small, and it Jacksonville just did not quite match up to the other cities. Residents; however, were thrilled at the idea and bought 10,000 season tickets within a 10 day span. This event proved that Jacksonville was the best spot for the new franchise.
After 16 years on the field, the Jacksonville Jaguars still have not made it to a Super Bowl game, although they have come close. In’96, and again in’99, the team played for their AFC Division title – they did not win, but they played hard. In their first four years as a franchise, they made it to the playoffs three times, and NFL record.
The 2007 season was a successful one for the Jaguars as the closed the season with a—2 record. One of their best seasons yet and fans expected them to finish the job in 2008. However, there was a different story to be told in 2008.
Fans expected to see their team in the Super Bowl in 2008, or at the least, in the playoffs again. With multiple injuries and the players just not working as a team, it became apparent that the team was not going to get far this year. What closed the deal on this was when the Jaguars lost against the Bengals, who had not won a game all year. Sad thing is, they only lost by three points, which was even more devastating to the team.
Even though there were flaws and mistakes, the team played hard at every single game, they just continually missed opportunities that would have gotten them more wins. The team and management took a pounding in 2008, and it began to show in their games. Finally, when they played the Lions, their defeat pushed them to a win by a field goal right at the end of the game. This right here might be the turning point, for the team, after an embarrassing year.
There is no sugarcoating it, 2008 was a bad year for the Jaguars. Fans and players are; however, hopeful that 2009 will be a better year – one like they have played so many of in the past. Injured players are back this year, along with some new faces; the combination of these two things is giving the team – and fans – hope again. Fans are already looking for season tickets and, like always, will fill the stands during every home game.
By Matt Ryan, sponsored by StubPass.com. StubPass sells Jacksonville Jaguars Tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets, NFL Tickets and many more tickets to just about any event in the world.
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